Ice-cream freezer



(No Model.)

T. J. HARTON. ICE CREAM FREEZER.

Patented'JamlA AN DREW B56 RAHAM. FHOTQUTHO WASH! N 670" DE UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS JEFFERSON HARTON, OF \VACO, TEXAS.

ICE-CREAM FREEZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,158, dated January14, 1896. Application filed April 22, 1395. Serial No. 546,748. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS JEFFERSON HARTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of aco, in the countyof McLennan and State ofTexas, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Ice-CreamFreezers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, and in which Figure 1 is a top view or plan of myimproved ice-cream freezer as it appears when ready for use. Fig. 2 is asectionallview of the same on the longitudinal and vertical planeindicated by the broken line marked a; m. Fig. 3 is a sectional detailview of one of the interior removable cream-cans, with its hermetic capor cover. Fig. 4 is a trans verse sectional view of the box and rotarydrum on the horizontal plane indicated by the broken line marked 11 1and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of the interior apertureddiaphragm and rotary freezer-drum, illustrating a modified constructionand arrangement of the aforesaid diaphragm or partition.

Like letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention relates to that class of utensils which are adapted to beused either as ice-cream freezers or churns, at the option of the user,(sometimes callec combined icecream freezers and churns;) and itconsists in certain improvements in the construction and combination ofparts of that particular type of devices of that class which employ adrum or cream-receptacle revolving upon a horizontal axis, with itslower-half part dipping into a stationary receptacle containing ice orwater, (cold or hot, according to the purposes for which the machine isemployed for the time being,) substantially as will be hereinafter morefully described and claimed.

On the accompanying drawings the reference-letter A designates a boxmade of woodor metal of any desired size, preferably of square orrectangular shape, and provided on opposite sides with journal boxes orbearings a a for the shaft (9 of the rotary drum or receptacle B, saidshaft 1) being provided with a crank-handle I) for turning it. Therotary drum B is of the shape illustrated more clearly in Figs. 2 and5-21 8., having a hat rectangular top, 0, a corresponding flat andrectangular bottom, 0, and curved sides (Z and (Z forming parts of acircle, with the shaft or axle b as the center, so that the top andbottom 0 0' really form sectors of what would otherwise be a cylindricaldrum B. It will furthermore be seen that the top and bottom areinterchangeable terms, as whether 0 is the top and c the bottom, or viceversa, will depend upon which side is uppermost at a given time. Theflattened parts 0 and 0 have large openings C and 0, closed withtightly-fitting screw-caps D D, or any other desired form of hermeticclosures which can be easily removed, and the axis of the drum B isintersected by a fiat diaphragm or partition E half-way between andparallel to the flattened sides 0 and c. This interior diaphragm E isprovided at opposite ends with slots or apertures e e, impinging uponthe straight heads or ends B B of the drum, so that when the drum isrevolved upon its axis Z) the fluid contents may pass freely throughthese apertures e c from one compartment, X, into the other, X, or viceversa, in the manner and for the purpose which will be described morefully later on.

If this apparatus is to be used as a churn for making butter, the creamis placed into the uppermost compartment by removing the appropriatestopper D or D, from where it will by gravity, when the drum is at rest,find its way through the apertures c 6 down into the lowermost chamberor compartment; but when the drum is being rapidly revolved by turningthe handle b (either by hand or by machinery) the centrifugal force willthrow the cream with considerable force against the opposite sides ofthis inner partition E, which operates in this way as the dasher of anordinary churn, causing the butter to come rapidly and easily, and thisprocess may be still further expedited and facilitated by filling box A,in which the drum has its bearings and revolves, with. water of theproper temperature. \Vhen the butter has been formed it is all collectedin a single batch in one of the compartments, resting upon the centralpartition E, which is adjusted in a slightlyslanting position, so thatall the buttermilk packed in either one of the compartments X or X,resting upon the central flat partition, as indicated in Fig. 2, and anyspace above, as well as the entire space in the adjacent vacantcompartment, is filled with crushed ice mixed with coarse salt or anyother convenient and inexpensive freezing-mixture. By now revolving thedrum the same as when churning, the freezing-mixture will be violentlyagitated and forced from one compartment through the apertures e c onopposite sides of shaft 1) into the other, permeating thoroughly allspaces or interstices between the individual closelypacked cans F F, thecontents of which are thus subjected to the direct action of thefreezing-mixture, which is constantly changing relative to the cans withwhich it comes into contact by the rapid revolutions of the drum. Afterthe contents of the cans have been frozen the drum is stopped andadjusted, as represented in Fig. 2, so that all the ice-water (orwhatever other freezing-mixture may have been employed) will drainthrough the apertures e e in the floor or partition E back into thebottom compartment X, after which the cans are withdrawn, one by one,through the opening C. By then dipping each of these cans for a fewmoments into hot water, removing the screw-cap, and placing them in aninverted position, the frozen contents may readily be shaken out in onesolid piece or body, the tapering shape of the can-bodies greatlyfacilitating the removal of the contents in a solid piece.

If desired, the central apertured diaphragm or partition E may be .constructed with clips or spring-clamps ff, as illustrated in Fig. 5,adapted to be sprung over the cans F and thus hold them firmly inposition during the revolutions of the drum. This construction will befound advantageous if only a small number of cream-cans are to be usedfor freezing, as it prevents these, after they have been filled withcream or custard and placed within the proper compartment, from beingshaken and tumbled around when the drum is rotated, whereby they wouldbe liable to become indented or otherwise damaged, more or less, as wellas knocking against and indenting the interior of the drum. Thespring-clamps or clips ff are, when used, of such a size and so shapedthat the cans can be inserted and again removed in a few moments. lVhen,however, a sufficient number of cans are used at one time to fill eitherone of the compartments these clamps are, of course, not necessary, asthe proper packing of the cans end to end and side by side, as shown inFig. 2 on the drawings, operates to keep them in place during theprocess of freezing without displacement to any considerable extent.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1.The combination with the stationary box A having bearings aa, of therotary drum B having central shaft 19, fiat diaphragm E intersectingsaid shaft and provided with apertures e e impinging against the flatheads of the drum, and flat sides or sectors 0 c parallel to the insidediaphragm and having large and registering apertures provided withhermetic closures; substantially as and for the purpose shown and setforth.

2. The combination with the rotary drum B, provided with the interioraxial diaphragm E having end-apertures e e, and with the parallel flattop and bottom 0 0 having registerin g apertures fitted with hermeticclosures, of the removable freezing-cans, F, F, of a lengthcorresponding approximately to the width of the drum between heads andadapted to be packed tightly, end to end and side by side, upon thecentral apertured diaphragm, within either one of the two compartmentsformed by said diaphragm; substantially as and for the purpose shown andset forth.

3. The combination with the rotary drum B provided with the interioraxial apertured diaphragm E, having clips or spring-clamps ff, of theindividual cream-cans F adapted to be placed upon the diaphragm and heldin place removably thereon during the revolution of the drum by theclips; substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein shownand'described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOllIAS JEFFERSON IIARTON.

Witnesses:

E. E. EASTERLING, CHAS. WooTTEN GRIFFIN.

